Council Joint Action 2007/753/CFSP of 19 November 2007 on support for IAEA monitoring and verification activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the framework of the implementation of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Date: 2007-11-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU aid, European defence policy, International Atomic Energy Agency, North Korea, non-proliferation of arms, nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear safety, weapon of mass destruction

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III

(Acts adopted under the EU Treaty)

ACTS ADOPTED UNDER TITLE V OF THE EU TREATY

COUNCIL JOINT ACTION 2007/753/CFSP

of 19 November 2007
on support for IAEA monitoring and verification activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea in the framework of the implementation of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of
Weapons of Mass Destruction

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in
particular Article 14 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

On 12 December 2003, the European Council adopted
the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of
Mass Destruction; Chapter III of the Strategy contains a
list of measures to combat such proliferation which need
to be taken both within the European Union and in third
countries.

The European Union is actively implementing the
Strategy and is giving effect to the measures listed in
in particular by releasing financial
Chapter III thereof,
specific projects conducted by
resources
multilateral
International
the
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

institutions,

to support

such as

The European Union has repeatedly called on the Demo-
cratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to comply with
its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to implement its compre-
hensive safeguards agreement in full cooperation with the
IAEA.

The European Union has continuously supported efforts
in the framework of the six-party talks, aimed at finding
a diplomatic solution to the nuclear situation on the
and
Korean peninsula,
financial support for the Korean Peninsula Energy Devel-
opment Organisation (KEDO).
the
European Union welcomed the Joint Statement of 19
September 2005 and the Initial Actions of 13 February
2007.

In the same spirit,

through political

including

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

On 9 July 2007, the Board of Governors of the IAEA
to implement ad hoc
authorised its Director-General
the
arrangements
for monitoring
in
shutdown of nuclear
accordance with the recommendations contained in the
IAEA report to the Board of Governors.

verifying
in the DPRK,

installations

and

In accordance with the Initial Actions of 13 February
2007,
the DPRK proceeded in July 2007 with the
shutdown of nuclear installations and has invited the
IAEA to monitor
this
shutdown has been confirmed by the IAEA.

the shutdown. Subsequently,

The European Union has welcomed this action carried
out by the DPRK as a very important first step on the
the DPRK’s nuclear
way to the dismantlement of
programmes and the denuclearisation of
the Korean
peninsula.

Since the costs incurred by the implementation of the ad
hoc arrangements can currently not be covered by the
regular safeguards budget of the IAEA, there is a need to
make sufficient extra-budgetary contributions in order
to allow for
ad hoc
arrangements, as long as there is no provision in the
regular IAEA budget,

implementation of

the

the

HAS ADOPTED THIS JOINT ACTION:

Article 1

For the purposes of giving immediate and practical implemen-
tation to some elements of the EU Strategy against the Pro-
the European
liferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,
Union shall support
the IAEA monitoring and verification
activities, which are carried out in accordance with existing
arrangements
agreed
between the DPRK and the IAEA,
in order to further the
following objectives:

for monitoring and verification,

as

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(a)

to contribute to the confidence-building process aimed at
the elimination of the DPRK’s nuclear programme, through
the continuation of monitoring and verification of
the
shutdown of DPRK nuclear facilities;

The expenditure financed by the amount stipulated in
2.
paragraph 1 shall be managed in accordance with the
Community procedures and rules applicable to the general
budget of the European Union.

(b) to assure the European Union’s continued active in-
volvement in efforts to develop a diplomatic solution to
the Korean nuclear issue;

(c)

to make sure that the IAEA has available sufficient financial
resources to carry out monitoring and verification activities
relating to the implementation of the Initial Actions of 13
February 2007, agreed in the framework of the six-party
talks.

The contribution by the EU will be used for the financing of
staff resources and travel, equipment and transportation, rental
of premises in the DPRK and related expenditure, as well as
costs for communications and acquisition of information tech-
nology.

A detailed description of these activities is set out in the Annex.

Article 2

1.
The Presidency, assisted by the Secretary-General of the
Council/High Representative for the CFSP (SG/HR), shall be
responsible for the implementation of this Joint Action. The
Commission shall be fully associated.

2.
The technical implementation of the activities referred to
in Article 1 shall be carried out by the IAEA. It shall perform
this
the SG/HR, assisting the
Presidency. For this purpose, the SG/HR shall enter into the
necessary arrangements with IAEA.

the control of

task under

3.
The Presidency, the SG/HR and the Commission shall keep
each other regularly informed about the implementation of this
Joint Action, in conformity with their respective competences.

Article 3

1.
The financial reference amount for the implementation of
the activities referred to in Article 1 shall be EUR 1 780 000 to
be funded from the general budget of the European Union.

3.
The Commission shall supervise the proper management
of the expenditure referred to in paragraph 2, which shall take
the form of a grant. For this purpose,
it shall conclude a
financing agreement with the IAEA. The financing agreement
shall stipulate that the IAEA is to ensure visibility of the EU
contribution, appropriate to its size.

endeavour

The Commission shall

4.
the
financing agreement referred to in paragraph 3 within three
months after the entry into force of this Joint Action. It shall
inform the Council of any difficulties in that process and of the
date of conclusion of the financing agreement.

to conclude

Article 4

The Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR, shall report
to the
Council on the implementation of this Joint Action on the
for the
basis of reports prepared by the IAEA Secretariat
IAEA Board of Governors, which will be submitted to the
Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR. The Commission shall be
fully associated. It shall report on the financial aspects of the
implementation of this Joint Action.

Article 5

This Joint Action shall enter into force on the day of
adoption.

its

It shall expire 18 months after its adoption.

Article 6

This Joint Action shall be published in the Official Journal of the
European Union.

Done at Brussels, 19 November 2007.

For the Council
The President

L. AMADO

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ANNEX

EU support for IAEA monitoring and verification activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK) in the framework of the implementation of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of
Mass Destruction

1. Description of IAEA monitoring and verification activities in the DPRK

In March 2007, the Director-General of the IAEA informed its Board of Governors that on 13 February 2007 the
Parties to the Six-Party Talks agreed in Beijing, China, on Initial Actions for the implementation of the Joint Statement
issued by them on 19 September 2005. He also informed the Board of Governors that on 23 February 2007 he had
received an invitation from the DPRK to visit the DPRK to ‘develop the relations between the DPRK and the IAEA, as
well as to discuss problems of mutual concerns’. In the Initial Actions the Parties agreed, inter alia, that the DPRK ‘will
shut down and seal, for the purpose of eventual abandonment, the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the repro-
cessing facility, and invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications as agreed
between IAEA and the DPRK’. The Board of Governors welcomed the agreement on the Initial Actions and
expressed the view that a successfully negotiated settlement of this long-standing issue, maintaining the essential
verification role of the IAEA, would be a significant accomplishment for international peace and security. In this
regard, the Board of Governors welcomed the invitation extended to the Director-General by the DPRK to visit the
DPRK.

The Director-General visited the DPRK on 13 and 14 March 2007 and reported to the Board of Governors in June
2007 on the results of his visit. The Board of Governors, while emphasising the importance of continued dialogue for
achieving a peaceful and comprehensive resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue and early denuclearisation of the Korean
Peninsula, welcomed the Director-General’s visit to the DPRK and his discussions with DPRK officials which had
focused on re-establishing the relationship between the DPRK and the IAEA.

On 16 June 2007 the Director-General received an invitation from the DPRK to send an IAEA team to discuss
procedural matters related to the monitoring and verification arrangement on the shutdown of
the Yongbyon
nuclear facility. This letter and the Director-General’s reply thereto, dated 18 June 2007, were circulated to the
Board of Governors.

An IAEA team, headed by the Deputy Director-General for Safeguards, visited the DPRK during the period 26 to 29
June 2007. The team visited the Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Plant, the 5 MW(e) Experimental Nuclear Power Plant, the
Radiochemical Laboratory (reprocessing plant) and the 50 MW(e) Nuclear Power Plant (under construction), all of
which are located at Yongbyon. The DPRK informed the team that these facilities, and the 200 MW(e) Nuclear Power
Plant (under construction), which is located in Taechon, would be shut down and sealed pursuant to the Initial Actions.

During the visit of the IAEA team to the DPRK, understanding was reached on the following arrangement:

(a)

the IAEA will receive from the DPRK a list of facilities that have been shut down and/or sealed, and subsequently
the IAEA will be kept informed of their status with a view to monitoring and verifying the shutdown and/or
sealing of the declared facilities;

(b) the IAEA will have access to all facilities and equipment that have been shut down and/or sealed for the purpose of

its monitoring and verification activities;

(c)

install, and service as necessary, appropriate containment and surveillance and other devices to
the IAEA will
monitor and verify the status of
If containment and
the shutdown and/or sealed facilities and equipment.
surveillance measures cannot be applied for practical reasons, the IAEA and the DPRK will agree on the im-
plementation of other appropriate verification measures;

(d) the IAEA will examine and verify information on the design of the shutdown and/or sealed facilities and document
the status of these facilities photographically or through video recordings. Re-verification of such information will
be performed periodically;

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(e)

the IAEA will be informed in advance if the DPRK intends to change the design and/or status of facilities and
equipment, so that consultations can be held with the DPRK about the impact such changes may have on the
IAEA’s monitoring and verification work;

(f)

the IAEA will be informed in advance if the DPRK intends to move or remove any nuclear-related equipment or
other essential equipment or components from the shutdown nuclear facilities or decommission any of these
facilities. The IAEA will be provided appropriate access to verify such equipment, components, and/or activities;

(g) the DPRK will maintain all records relevant to the IAEA’s monitoring and verification activities;

(h) the IAEA will be provided with the necessary visas for IAEA personnel, and will be extended the same privileges
and immunities as those set out in the relevant provisions of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (INFCIRC/9/Rev.2) for IAEA property, funds and assets, its personnel and
other officials in exercising their functions under this arrangement;

(i)

the IAEA will be provided with full information on the health and safety procedures at the relevant facilities;

(j)

the IAEA and the DPRK will consult on issues related to the costs of implementation;

(k) the above measures will be subject to periodic review by the DPRK and the IAEA.

The IAEA is authorised in accordance with Article III.A.5 of its Statute to ‘… apply safeguards, at the request of the
parties, to any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or at the request of a State, to any of that State’s activities in the
field of atomic energy’. This authorisation does not require the State to be a member of the IAEA and does not
prescribe a particular form or substance for safeguards arrangements. The monitoring and verification in the DPRK will
therefore be consistent with the Statute. At this stage such monitoring and verification will be implemented in
accordance with the ad hoc arrangements referred to in recital (5) of the Joint Action.

The monitoring and verification activities in the DPRK were not foreseen and therefore there is no provision for the
conduct of such monitoring and verification in the IAEA’s current budget or the proposed budgets for the 2008–2009
biennium. The estimated costs to cover these activities are EUR 2,2 million for 2007 and 2008, respectively, based on
the current arrangements for monitoring and verification between DPRK and IAEA. However, in the light of progress
made in the six-party-talks process and a possible increased role for the IAEA in the monitoring and verification of
understandings reached, the need for additional financial means could arise in the future.

2. Objectives

IAEA monitoring and verification remains an indispensable tool for building confidence among States with regard to
nuclear non-proliferation undertakings, and for advancing the peaceful use of nuclear material.

Overall objective and project purpose:

— to contribute to the implementation of monitoring and verification activities in the DPRK, in accordance with the

Initial Actions of 13 February 2007, as agreed in the framework of the six-party-talks.

Project results:

— continued monitoring and verification by the IAEA of the shutdown of the abovementioned nuclear installations in

the DPRK.

3. Duration

The total estimated duration for the implementation of this Joint Action is 18 months.

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4. Beneficiaries

The beneficiary of this Joint Action is the IAEA.

5. Implementing entity

The IAEA will be entrusted with the implementation of the project. The project will be implemented directly by the
IAEA, namely by the staff from the IAEA Department of Safeguards. In the case of contractors, the procurement of any
goods, works or services by the IAEA in the context of this Joint Action will be carried out in accordance with the
applicable rules and procedures of the IAEA, as detailed in the European Community Contribution Agreement with the
IAEA.

The implementing entity will prepare reports on the basis of information provided to the IAEA Board of Governors.
These reports will be submitted to the Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR for the CFSP.

6. Third-party participants

There will be no third party participants.